Life in Cameroon

Today was an intersting one for Ben. A reminder that life changes in an instant.

He went up to teach at Camp Joy. It is about a 40 minute drive from our house. On his way home, he stopped in Sabga, to talk to a couple ladies that come to our church. They all heard a commotion and saw a woman running up the road with a child in her arms who had just been hit by a taxi driver. The driver took off immediatly and didn't even stick around. Ben was the only one around with a car, so he and the young lady with the child, Mami Regina, and Mirabelle all climbed into his car and they rushed to Mbingo Baptist Hospital...about an hours drive away. As they passed through the first Gendarme checkpoint they saw the taxi driver who'd hit the two year old little boy. Ben later learned that he did the right thing. Often people who run over pedestrians (and it happens often here) will get killed by a mob of people right there. So, they take off to the closest police checkpoint to report what happened and to protect themselves. Ben said that the driver looked awful...he was sure it was a pure accident. The gendarme waved them on through...he continued on to the hospital. He said that the little boy was in and out of consciousness the whole way. One side of his head was swollen and misshaped, the arm that the car hit was twice it's size at least and the other side of his head had a big scrape where he'd been slammed to the pavement. Once they were pretty close to the hospital he woke up and was screaming. Of all the crazy things, they had to go stand in line to register him once they arrived at the hospital!! Rather than have an emergency room for immediate treatment they had to go register and get the "little pink book." (I could tell you some stories about their dumb pink book...for another post.) I just wonder how great an emergency you have to have to get immediate treatment. Ben and I discussed it a bit tonight. Maybe if you'd severed an arm...no, they would probably make you stand there with a towel wrapped around it while you waited in registration. Sometimes this country amazes me and makes me really thankful for the health care in the states. I realize that the cost of health care is ridiculous, but we have good doctors, and we can call 911 when an emergency happens. America is blessed beyond measure! Anyway, Ben stayed there for a while until the ladies that he brought were ready to leave with him. He put a big chunk of money on the child's bill and we are praying that he makes it through this accident and that somehow this incident can be used in their life to draw them to God. I know those ladies in Sabga who are neighbors to this little boy have shared the gospel with their family. Hopefully they will have more opportunities to be a light and a testimony to them, and that somehow through this tragedy they might come to know Christ. The mother wasn't even there when her baby was hit...she was in Ndop about 20 minutes up the road. An Auntie was watching him (she was probably only 16.) Evidently she was working in the kitchen when this little guy ran into the road. The way the roads are, so curvy and everything, it is possible that the taxi driver had no chance to react once he saw him in the road. My picture for the day is of the child's ward at Mbingo Baptist Hospital. No private rooms here...Ben said the room was full of small children.This is where that little boy will stay. Pray for this family..for their need for Christ, and for healing for this little boy.